Serious illness 'increases divorce risk'

As part of their marriage vows, most couples promise to be there for each other in sickness and in health.

However, according to a new study, a wife falling seriously ill can increase a couple's risk of filing for divorce.

This is the conclusion of a paper researched by scientists at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, who analysed data relating to 20 years of marriage among 2,717 couples. The details had been collected for a previous University of Michigan Institute for Social Research study on health and retirement.

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Participants were required to answer a series of questions about both their health and the state of their marriage at regular intervals throughout the 20-year period, which began in 1992. At the point of their initial interview, at least one half of the couple was aged over 50.

Doctors looked at how the onset of serious illnesses affected the future of the couples' marriages, with a primary focus being placed on cancer, lung disease, strokes and heart problems.

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Over the two decades, 31 per cent of the marriages resulted in divorce.

The researchers made an interesting discovery, as while husbands were more affected by serious health problems than wives during the 20-year period, it seemed to be the wife becoming ill that triggered the most break-ups.

Amelia Karraker, lead author of the study, explained: 'Gender norms and social expectations about caregiving may make it more difficult for men to provide care to ill spouses.

'We found that women are doubly vulnerable to marital dissolution in the face of illness. They are more likely to be widowed and if they are the ones who become ill, they are more likely to get divorced,' she added.

Reasons for divorce were not explored during this study, but Ms Karraker highlighted that women are often the ones who initiate the act, which suggests they may not feel the care and support they are receiving from their husbands is of an adequate standard.

The author is calling for more support to be given to marriages where one party is providing care for the other in order to potentially reduce this divorce risk in the future.

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